Protective coating and process of applying and removing



Aug. 15, 1939. L. G. COPEMAN PROTECTIVE COATING AND PROCESS OF APPLYINGAND REMOVING Original Filed Nov. 4, 1955 INVENTOR. 1110361 6. ('o emanATTORNEYS I Patented Aug. 15, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEPROTECTIVE COATING AND PROCESS OF APPLYING AND REMOVING Lloyd G.Copeman, Flint, Mich assignor to Copeman Laboratories Company, Flint,Mich., a corporation of Michigan Claims.

This invention relates to protective coatings and process of applyingand removing, and has to do particularly with coatings adapted to beapplied between articles of manufacture to act as an anti-squeakmaterial.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No.48,125, filed November 4, 1935, which in turn is a division ofapplication Serial No. 593,279, filed Feb. 16, 1932, now matured intoPatent No. 2,020,255.

The idea of applying a temporary, readily peelable coating such as latexto articles as disclosed by Van Deventer Reissue 18,734 and, asdisclosed in my copending application Serial No. 597,013, such temporarylatex coatings were improved by the use of a backing material with athin layer of plastically applied latex or similar aqueous dispersion ofrubber, said backing material bonding to the latex when set up to form atough protective coating and to make such protective coating easilyremovablein large sheets.

The subject matter of the present invention, which is a division ofapplication No. 48,125, has to do with the application of an aqueousdispersion of rubber, such as latex or any other solution containing asolvent, which will set up in the form of a coating to the surface of anarticle so as to act as an anti-squeak material when the surface of saidarticle is placed adjacent the surface of another article to form acompleted produc Some modifications of the invention embody the step ofapplying or utilizing a backing coating such as a dry aggregate whichpermits the use of but a single thin layer of deposited rubber and whichnot only accelerates the setting up of the latex or the like but whichassists in the removal of the temporary protective coating.

In the drawing:

Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate the assembly of two separately coated articlesaccording to the present process when a portion of the coating is atemporary one and is removable as shown in Fig. 2 and the remainder ofthe coating firmly positioned between the two articles.

Fig. 3 illustrates a portion of an automobile and fender and the mannerof removal of the coating.

The coating material as used in the present process may varyconsiderably, but in most cases I preferably use a coating materialwhich is held in solution by a solvent or any other suitable carryingagent. This solution may be any of the various lacquers or aqueousdispersions of rubber, such as latex and, as will Be later pointed .out,such rubber dispersions may be so loaded with a filler as to be veryplastic and just barely pour.

The aqueous dispersion of rubber or other coating agent may, of course,have various concentrations and may be combined with cheaper fillerssuch as clay. For instance, a mixture of latex and two,hundred mesh claywill make a very desirable coating which is so thick that it will hardlypour but which may be easily sprayed upon the article to be coated.Regardless of the kind of coating material used, and whether temporaryor permanent; I preferably accelerate the setting up action and thecompletion of the .finished coating by adding a dry secondary coatingmaterial either with the plastically applied coating material or on topof the layer or layers of plastically applied coating material. Thisaccelerating coating material may be paper, wood flour, ground rubber,cotton dust, etc.

In coating automobile parts, such as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, I may firstspray a complete fender 2 with a coating substance which may be insolution or plastic state. This initial coating may be applied bydipping in the usual manner or, as disclosed in my application SerialNo. 593,279, filed February 16, 1932, and now issued as Patent No.2,020,255, the coating solution such as latex may be first applied topaper and the coated side of the paper, while still plastic, thenapplied to the fender, but in the present invention I preferably spraythe finished coating on the surface to be protected. While the initiallyapplied coating is still wet I apply the backing material such as paper,wood flour, or finely ground rubber. This backing material adheres tothe relatively sticky surface of the initial coating and such backingmaterial materially accelerates thesetting up time of the coating byabsorbing or at least assisting by absorption or capillarity inevaporating the solvent or carrying agent such as water in the case oflatex.

For the typical single coating for fenders, automobile bodies andsimilar articles, I may complete the coating by applying a second layerof coating material which is preferably latex. Suitable accelerators maybe combined with this final layer of latex or other coating material toassist in the setting up action.

I have found that if a filler such as clayis added to the aqueousdispersion of rubber or other coating material it is comparativelydiflicult to peel the coating from the surface, but that if a backingmaterial of wood flour, paper, or similar dry aggregate or coatingmaterial is added to thsurface of the coating while still of the twoarticles.

wet, the resulting coating may be easily peeled 011 in large strips. Inother words, regardless of the particular type or kind of initialcoating material used, the adding of the backing material helpsmaterially in the setting up of the coating, in adding sufllcient bodyto make the coating easily stripped oil in large sheets, and in buildingup a protective coating of sufllcient resilience and body which ismaterially cheaper than the same thickness of coating built up fromsuccessive layers of the base coating material. The wood flour, groundrubber or other backing material is less expensive than the originalcoating material and the use of such backing material presents a muchsuperior coating so that built up from the successive layers of latex orthe like.

Regardless of the particular ingredients and specific method ofapplication of the temporary protective coating, one of the importantfeatures of the present application resides in the protective coating ofvarious parts which go into the making up or assembling of a completearticle.

For instance, referring particularly to Fig. 1, the fender 2 may becoated with a layer of latex and a layer of ground rubber, the body 3 ofthe automobile may be coated similarly. The fender may be then shippedto'the body plant or both the body and fenders shipped to an assemblyplant and the 'fender bolted to the body in the usual manner, botharticles, of course, receiving protection during such shipping,handling, and assembly; the manner of coating preferably being such asnot to cover up the respective bolt holes The remainder of theautomobile may then be assembled and shipped or driven to itsdestination after which the exposed portions of the temporary protectivecoating ma-- terial 4 may be removed, as best illustrated in Figs. 2 and3, leaving the two layers of material 4 between the assembled fender andthe body to act as an anti-squeak material.

I claim:

1. An anti-squeak strip for use between a vehicle body and fender,comprising laminations of rubber and fibrous material formed by applyingto said body and said fender alternate coats of an aqueous dispersion ofrubber and a fibrous material, and allowing the same to solidify.

2. An anti-squeak strip for use between a vehicle body and fender,comprising laminations of rubber formed by coating said body and fenderwith an aqueous dispersion of rubber and allowing the rubber to depositfrom said aqueous dispersion.

3. An anti-squeak strip for use between adjacent structural partscomprising a laminated strip formed of a plurality of superimposedlayers of fibrous material impregnated with a latex compound renderingthe material water resistant.

4. An anti-squeak strip for use between the surfaces of metal partsgoing into the fabrica tion and manufacture of a completed articlecomprising a plurality of superimposed layers of rubber coating formedfrom an aqueous dispersion of rubber and ,a coating of liquid absorbentmaterial applied to the surfaces of respective articles, said materialbeing bonded with the rubber coating to form a flexible water resistantcoating.

5. As a new article of manufacture, an antisqueak strip for use betweena vehicle body and fender comprising a plurality of superimposedcoatings of rubber applied as an aqueous dispersion, and coatings of aliquid absorbent fibrous material bonded with the rubber coating.

LLOYD G. COPE'MAN.

